The present invention relates to a controller device which can be held and operated by a player, and a controller system.
There are conventional controller devices which players hold in hand (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3703473). For example, a portable game device described in Japanese Patent No. 3703473 is of a foldable type, and includes operation buttons and a touch panel provided on a lower housing. With this game device, a user can perform game operations using operation buttons provided on opposite sides of the screen while holding the game device and looking at the screen.
In recent years, more portable terminal devices (controller devices) have larger screens, etc., and the devices themselves are also larger. If the device itself which is used by a user while being held in hand becomes bigger, it may become less easy to hold the device. When operating the game device described in Japanese Patent No. 3703473, the methods of operation are limited to those in which the operation buttons and the touch panel are operated while holding the game device.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a controller system which can provide a user with a wide variety of methods of operation. It is another object of the present invention to provide a controller device which can easily be held and operated by a user, and a controller system.
The present invention employs the following configurations (1) to (12) to attain the objects mentioned above.
(1)
An example of the present invention is a controller system including a controller device and an additional device which can be attached to and detached from the controller device. The controller device includes a generally plate-shaped housing, and a display section provided on a front side of the housing. The additional device includes an operation section, a bar-shaped first grip portion, and a support portion. The support portion detachably supports the controller device so that a screen of the display section is in a generally vertical direction when the first grip portion is in a vertical direction.
The term “operation section” as used herein may be any operation device which can be operated by the user, e.g., a stick (analog stick), a key (button), a touch panel, a touch pad, etc., as shown in the embodiment to be discussed below.
With the configuration (1) above, the controller device including the generally plate-shaped housing can be attached to the additional device including the first grip portion. Therefore, by attaching the controller device to the additional device and holding the first grip portion, the user can easily hold the additional device (controller system) so that the display section faces toward the user. With the configuration (1) above, the user can easily hold even a controller device having a relatively large screen. Then, the user can operate the operation section of the additional device while looking at the display section of the controller device and holding the grip portion of the additional device. Therefore, it is possible to provide various operations depending on the type of the additional device.
(2)
The additional device may further include a bar-shaped second grip portion which is in a direction generally parallel to the first grip portion. In this case, the operation section is provided at a position at which the operation section can be operated with a finger of a hand holding one of the first grip portion and the second grip portion.
The term “a position at which [the operation section] can be operated with a finger of a hand holding one of the first grip portion and the second grip portion” as used herein includes the position of the side surface of either grip portion, or the upper end portion (the vicinity of the upper end) of either grip portion. If the operation section is provided at the position of the side surface of the grip portion, the user can operate the operation section with fingers other than the thumbs. If the operation section is provided at the position of the upper end portion, the user can operate the operation section with the thumbs.
With the configuration (2) above, since the additional device includes two grip portions, the user can firmly hold the additional device and the controller device by holding the grip portions with two hands. Since the operation section can be operated with a hand holding a grip portion, it is possible to easily make an operation while firmly holding the additional device and the controller device.
(3)
The support portion may be provided in a member which connects the first grip portion and the second grip portion to each other.
With the configuration above (3) the controller device is attached to the support portion which is provided between the two grip portions. Therefore, for example, even if the controller device is relatively large, the user can easily hold the additional device and the controller device by holding the grip portions.
(4)
The first grip portion may be provided at a position to be on a front side of the screen when the controller device is attached. The second grip portion may be provided at a position to be on a back side of the screen when the controller device is attached.
With the configuration (4) above, the user can easily hold the additional device and the controller device by holding the two grips with one hand on the front side of the screen and the other on the back side of the screen. Such a manner of holding is particularly suitable for a case in which game operations are performed while assuming that the additional device and the controller device are a gun.
(5)
The additional device may further include an image-capturing section arranged in a direction for capturing an image in a backward reaction of the screen when the controller device is attached.
The term “image-capturing section” as used herein may be an ordinary camera such as a camera 56 in the embodiment to be described below, or a camera for detecting infrared light emitted from a predetermined marker such as an image capturing/processing section 35 in the embodiment to be described below, for example.
With the configuration (5) above, if the image-capturing results obtained by the image-capturing section are used as user input operations, the user can perform an operation of directing the additional device in an intended direction, and it is possible with the additional device to perform intuitive and easy operations.
(6)
The controller device may include a projecting portion provided so as to project on a back side of the housing. In this case, a first engagement hole is provided on a bottom surface of the projecting portion. The second engagement hole is provided on a bottom surface of the housing. The support portion includes tab portions which can engage with the first engagement hole and the second engagement hole, and supports a back surface of the housing when the tab portions are engaged with the first engagement hole and the second engagement hole.
With the configuration (6) above, since the controller device is connected to the support portion on the back surface and on the bottom surface, it is possible to securely connect the controller device and the additional device to each other. In a case in which the configuration (6) above and the configuration (5) above or the configuration (7) below are used in combination with each other, the additional device is expected to be moved around, and it is therefore particularly advantageous to securely connect the controller device and the additional device to each other. Since the support portion supports the back surface of the housing when the controller device and the additional device are connected to each other, it does not become difficult to view the screen of the display section, thus providing a display section that is easy to view.
(7)
The controller device may further include an inertia sensor inside the housing.
With the configuration (7) above, it is possible to perform operations such as shaking or moving the controller device itself, allowing the user to perform intuitive and easy operations using the controller device and the additional device.
(8)
The display section may include a screen of 5 inches or larger.
With the configuration (8) above, it is possible to use a large screen to display images that are easy to view and appealing. In a case in which a display section of such a large screen as that of the configuration (8) above is used, the size of the controller device itself is also inevitably large. Therefore, it is particularly advantageous to employ the configurations (1) to (7) above which allow the user to easily hold the controller device.
(9)
The additional device, when attached to the controller device, may transmit operation data representing an operation performed on the controller device itself to the controller device. In this case, the controller device can wirelessly communicate with a game device capable of executing a game process, and wirelessly transmits, to the game device, operation data representing an operation performed on the controller device itself and operation data transmitted from the additional device.
With the configuration (9) above, the user can perform game operations using a controller device which can be easily held and which has a good controllability.
(10)
Another example of the present invention is a controller device including a bar-shaped first grip portion, a bar-shaped second grip portion, a display section, and an operation section. The display section is arranged so that a screen thereof is in a generally vertical direction when at least one of the first grip portion and the second grip portion is in a vertical direction. The operation section is provided at a position at which the operation section can be operated with a finger of a hand holding one of the first grip portion and the second grip portion.
With the configuration (10) above, since the controller device includes two grip portions, the user can firmly hold the controller device by holding the grip portions with two hands. By holding the grip portions, the user can easily hold the controller device so that the screen of the display section faces toward the user. Moreover, since the operation section can be operated with a hand holding the grip portion, the user can easily perform operations while firmly holding the controller device. As described above, with the configuration (10) above, it is possible to provide a controller device that is easy to hold for the user. With the configuration (10) above, the user can easily hold even a controller device having a relatively large screen.
(11)
The display section may be provided between the first grip portion and the second grip portion.
With the configuration (11) above, the display section is provided between two grip portions, as with the configuration (3) above. Therefore, the user can easily hold the controller device by holding the two grip portions even if the display section is relatively large, for example.
(12)
The first grip portion may be provided at a position to be on a front side of the screen, the second grip portion may be provided at a position to be on a back side of the screen.
With the configuration (12) above, the user can easily hold the additional device and the controller device by holding the two grips with one hand on the front side of the screen and the other on the back side of the screen, as with the configuration (4) above. Such a manner of holding is particularly suitable for a case in which game operations are performed while assuming that the additional device and the controller device are a gun.
According to the present invention, the additional device detachably supports the controller device so that a screen of the controller device is in a generally vertical direction when the first grip portion is in a vertical direction. By attaching the controller device to the additional device and holding the first grip portion, the user can easily hold the additional device (controller system) so that the display section faces toward the user. Therefore, the user can easily hold the controller device.
These and other features, aspects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.